Gold dredger



Sept. 5, 1950 G. v. FARNHAM ET AL. 2,521,508

GOLDDREDGER Filed May 26, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 -C7'LEN MFA NHAM U] HUGH JLLE-SFIE BY. [tl AT.'T'D 'EY barand drill "are tree to.

" w r w v v s i "movable ina vertical line only, *the'rebvkeeping,"

'I-his invention relates to an? improved gold dredgerlof the suction-type; employed for=recov-. ering gold, .platinum and other precious metals deposited in; gravel and: sand unclernee uzh zwater.

' The usual type'ofrsuch dredger includes a hollow dril1{0r pointed -:digger.land -.a pump havingiits suetionkonnected 'to,- the4. :said t-rhollow ,drill by a suitable hosewhereby the mixture of water; earth andmetals are; pumped;out or the hollow. digger and deposited on: azdevice capable of separating. the metals fro mth'e.mixture..- The hollow] drill e xtendsfrom and is rigidly fixedto: aneelongated rectangular vvertical bar; knownin the trade as he K l' ba rwh hhbaniis scillated durin t erti al ve e ta i neces ary io the pipe airing he v rtioalkmovem n 'of e d i nd as thesaiddrfll O S illatesQduring the vertical ,movement thereof a tremendous strainproduced on 'Am l ication May 26,

, 2,521,503 sowm leni. and I I ugh Gillespie;

Nortl saeramento, Calif. 1947, se ialnotvsm'm 'olaiii s; (credits),

l isto mount the suction .ing,aHVerticalEdischarge ofhmaterials thereby 1,, 1;; L pump ina-suitable tanl whiohtank. itself iunctions memes, adding additional buoyancy it re'dg .-;a-s-* a whole, permitting thewpump to v.rest below -tl iewvateri levelpwhereby the suction efiiciency is increased and 'sthei pump -is kept continuously primed whetheriidler or running and also enabling thepump to always; be accessible iforxroiling or grease.

' ing. andzmakine other minor repairsthatbecome necessary. .TlliSf. .construction .also enables the pump to. set horizontal. with the dredge; affords reducing the resistancel ontthe intake sand: 'disv.

, an -suc o ho conne ed t t e sai pump; and, I drill, to longitudinally move on a horizontal plane the suction hose; causing wearuandl breakdowns r and requiring constant -attention andis very in y One or the objects i' o'f' tlie prese t invention is t6 'embqd a .im'proveds it pegibow; in. the

mechanismco necti the 5 1ij'bar2a d hollow o thefsuction hose whereby the-.said lfielly,

isth os "Jino'ther" object of t e present invention isto provide ar'i improved means f 6r; sealing i the joint of the jswivel elbow; which means. includes. the forming or "al sealedbox -like structure" around the joint and supplyingijresligwater under pres s'ureintothe said. boxstructuralthus providing a tight. joint without the'i'pofssibilitjy o f ai'r leaks and thereby maintaining ia perfe'ct' v eumnlm the suctionine, enabling the pumpto. iiirt'g jthf gold and other heavypi'neralsjfroiii the'water. nd e e n;whi 1 h f edeei son efurther'objectofjt resent 1 vention is 'c b plurality of'pipes telescopicallypositioned one in the other and to connect the said telescopically positioned pipes to'th'e said. swivel elbow by a we e Ph t'Qi WI r-j o f i d-f -isi te mmate of t ess'p'ee illustration "like nurheralsdesi throughout the same;

' ro'rm thesaid'suctionline' bfaflexible'hose and pair of ivotally operative arms,fwhereby the pipes are moved in and outwhen the Kelly' ba'r is, raisedand lowered; thus removing all strain l'fronrth'e flexible hose which would j be continually bend and also holding the mem -e thef-hose, elbow outlet and teiescepman f psig tioned-pipes in alignment at" all times.

A'stilli further object of '1 the present invention a manner enabling thesametoberq-f.

; with hlyjefficient? aritifsf r'yi gpie in Infjth'e accompanying drawings chargegtoathevminimunr;a S; J.

s -A still further object of. the present invention-is to operate the Kelly bar; and dri1l.;through; the medium 1 winch, having a cablewoundthereon. moonosflo ,clirectigns iandetoecontrolithe revolve able movement 0i the winch; by a, manua ly 91 21: tivexwer a le o ionidrivee olu lmhich; r t n, r v iun t on as i s h 1utoh. o 5 in;

economical to manufacture, posit e} e fi erurpos -i y 9. it fl a ts mi a her 1 I '1;is, ac'entral ye ti'ar mneitu fdevice'shown partly e vation';

2 bl ree ei l viewf'illustratinfgfjtl ielsw 'l' elbow a struotion' provided for Siiriii [the s the elly b whichrthe pulim s3fi6fifitedf 7 1; I

rtic z l v tion Big; "l isf'an enlarged v V I ont w i e l w r P E Jeno EhfihQOWr drill employed in the invention ron .elev mon a ainsfor' guiding the Kelly b'a' Fig. 8 is a, horizontal sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, looking in direction of the arrows,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the telescopically positioned pipes, shown partly in elevation and partly in section, and also shows a portion of the flexible hose and the lower portion of the arm connecting the telescoped pipe to the swivel elbow, I M

Fig. 10 is an enlarged. side elevational view of one of a pair of armsprovided for connecting the telescope to the elbow associated with the hollow drill, and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged top plan view of the winch, friction drive, and the mechanism oscil-' lating the Kelly bar.

Referring in detail to the drawings and the numerals thereof, the number"'l l'designaltes; as a whole, a floating base constructed of a plurality of pontoons l and I6, spaced apart as at I! and ri id e ured ne to r heio h rm bye u t bl ties ill-end L8 ndaruee dis eel eantrvgimm it asis wn t adya taeein Fi 1 and he front si e. portions...0f. e v"Pon o s are iormede n .gular, asat'ltlkand l6,,for enabling the'dredger to operateclosedto the banks of streams and the. like. 1 The pontoons'are specially designed to ride a fast water *stream without thehazard'of the water. comingvin over the deck of thedredger, and are tapered ran-d beveled, the taper being designedto split the streaml'i'andthe bevel for a safety feature. The :pontoon's are also beveled i'n'the rear to producethe-properstream action so as not to interfere with ttic-tailing disposal problem. Asuita'hle pulley iris secured to the top portion-of the lgantry frame and likewise a second pulley '22 is positiened at the jiewe pdrtien thereof. elongated rectangular bar-23,:fedm mot-fly called the Keliy bar, and preferably construeted or a pair a: elongated ahgleswe'lded' one tothe other, is suspended fi'om o' "end portion ofasuitable cable'termed -tlie' hoist line 2 6; "The said cable is wound around minent-renal wine'h {land the other end portion 28 termedtd'crowd line extends underneath the pulley 22 and t iuter end of the' 'saider wd e is fiir edto the peifextremity'of the as at!!! nausea as "at aure accommodatin an interme fiangedasiatfi a'nd iiii; H secured to theKeIIy barf-byth'ibolts and 4, sl fowntohdvantage' in "Fig. 2. A hollow drill or-diggersaprovided with aiiange, 36 i s secured to the" said sleev'e jfiange' a; byjthe bolts andfnuts 3ywhe eb ihe-seid rim 3% lshecuied 'to'th'e' Kelly bar. The'dri med witha plurality of openings 38, whicjh openii' gs are located' in pro imity-retir ment whereby the gravel and' pi eiou'sdiate sleeve suckedintothe ziri he the; 1a ion'fo'f the same, A pluralitypf sp ce'd elongated rib mi e ii nd outeri su' fi hollowdrill as as shown to a'dvantag'e inFig's. 4' and 5, to facilitate the flow orwaterin sutfieient vo'lulhe to the *said epenmgs S'B VfIi'ere the suctloh' is bein created; the water "needed to create the fiow necessaryto suck he and-eth r va uebie 'niiheisis liih e'en'tn beam? the stream'is'acq'uired,

An especially constructed"swiyefel 6w "4] {is mounted in the"internidiatesleeve 3|, oi" the sleeve being recessed a ting theelbow to oscillate at least A" vertically extending lug 43," recessed as at 714 lower 'enupor'tien for he Kelly bar13 is' inety degrees.

is Welded to the upper curved portion of the said swivel elbow and a shaft 45 is pinned into the said lug, as at 46 and vertically extends through the flanges 32 and and into the Kelly bar 23 wherein it is revolvably supported in suitable bearings 47 and 48, which bearings are secured to the Kelly bar as disclosed to advantage in Fig. 2. The lower extremity of the said elbow 4i rests on the end of an upwardly 'i extending pipe 49 as at 50, which pipe is weld'ed to the flange 33. It will be obvious that a joint is 1 thus formed upon which the elbow 4| rests,

l5 7 .w -en the Vertical shaft and posit o 15" and; respectiv rim 4 n thepumps aft a d motors Kelly b'a'rffis raised and 1;)

whereby the Kelly bar 23, intermediate sleeve 31 and hollow drill 35 are free to oscillate independentfrom the said elbow. A collar 5| is seagainst the bottom face of the flange 32 for receiving'aiiy' upward thrusts applied against the elbow; A collar 52 is welded to the elbow and rests against a rubber br other suitable Washer 53, which washer issupported onhnizitemhlly beveled bushing, which gbushing' is welded to the sleeve, l-li v The wall of the said"sleeve M- is apertured as at "54 for accommodatingwafresh water inletipip'e 55, which :pipe 'Weldedito the said sleeve. The numeral =56; designates a-h'igh pressure .water line :comiected :to the inlet pipe: 55 by aponvention'al' pipe connection "51, whereby :f resh water under :pressure can *be supplied into thechamber "'58 surrounding the joint wherebythe said joint is 'positively sealed. Aisuitable pump 59 isprovidedior suc'king the gravel, gold andoth'e-i v aluable minerals jrrem secures to the qmhtodns 1s and l6, the i n'le't'fil of thepump extendiiig tliroueh the wall of the tank as"showhto advantag e i-ni ie. --1. The line connecting the-"suction tothe'swivel ellbow ll comprisesafieriblelibe-G2; necti'i to a pipe ts; wmeh pipe *tele'sopically posifione'd a second "64 "that is held imposition by the support 5 5. A third pipe 66 is's'eoiird to thes"dseeondpipetll andalso to "the Th 11'" 'itwaidlyex v V v. ha eco ventional valvefss for conti'ollingthe sairl in'iie pendent ofthesuction line. bow, flexible hose, and pipes are ai-vpremded suitable rig e afia" but-ed together" in Ventional man'ner. 'Thefnun'iei al ll s aesignates any" ype for ohera'tingthe asuitable"motbr foi' p l ia df s co necte thereto b eremmje "'Ihe'n suitable'pulleys; corhino'dafing th forop'eratively 'con t1 he I said shafts. The numeral 13 disch'a'rgeipipe leading from the pump forc'o vying' thevrater gravel and metals tojjthe i'ec' ry plantj'notshoivn, which plant ean'beof' "ee'iiventieiiei' see. 1

:The iiieafhs provided for 'o' pez atively' conne cts ing' the motor "'69fto t e winch the werea, n sists of an elongated shaft? spo'sit'i'ohed above the 1110110! rive shaft]: and in parallelism 'therewithfthe said' shafts '12 enajfii "Being connected {one was ether through the j eai'u er" a} pa r" of}; pulleys H .l ee i 'b'el em e shdwn to advantage in Fig. 1. The saidshalt-t T4 :icanfbefrevolvably supported manner andefit to illustrated to The saiastviv i elin. e e i ble.

endi ezp ovid W tha pa r ofe ngo t y; opp sed cone shaped friction drive members 86 and 81, which cone shaped friction drive members '86 and8l are positioned to 'straddle the cone shaped member 80 and in proximity thereto. A gear :wheel 88 is fixed on the outer end portion of the I shaft 83, and likewise, a similar gear 89, preferably of wider dimension, is fixed on the elongated shaft 14, the said gears being adapted to engage, one with the other. The said shaft 14 is equipped with a conventional lever shifting, mechanism 88 whereby either of cone shaped drive members 85 or Bl can beengaged with the cone shaped member 30 fixed on the outer end portion of the winch shafti'li.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings itwill be obvious that the winch 2'! can be revolved in a direction to pull the crowd line 28 and thereby force the Kelly bar 23 downwardly and push the digger point 39 into the gravel, utilizing the weight of the dredger to do so. It will also'be obvious that the revolving ofthe winch can be reversed, whereby the hoist line 25 will lift the said Kelly bar back to its normal position where the digger point is lifted above the surface of the water or bottom of the dredger asillustrated neouslv ewiththe such-ins; of the -,water:and,;eravel;

throu h;the liollowndrill-ifl andrinletclineccome poseddof the; ,flexibleluho'se .162. and the .tele-v scopically. positioned .pipes 963 -and1.64.. .2 It-. w i1lalsos-be .noted that as the K-el1y;=.bar is.;.for.ced'

downwardly and -;upwardly, t-hesisaidoinlettiline must; imoveziinwardlyaand; outwardly due-rte: the continuous schangedaeing; imade-,inzttheedistance.

' swivel elbow 4| and the lower inner ends 0011-,

nected to the telescope pipes 63 as disclosed to advantagein Figs. 1 6', 7 and 9, whereby all strains caused from the movement imparted to the telescope pipe 63 and the flexible hose 62 is carried on the said arms. The said arms are apertured at the outer ends thereof, as at I01 and slotted on the opposite end as at 18, shown to advantage in Fig. 10, to allow for freedom ofmovement.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be in Fig. 1. The said reversible friction drive acts as a safety device and will slip before any damage can be done to the mechanism of the dredger in the event the digger point strikes a hard'bed of rock which cannot be penetrated.

It is important to oscillate the Kell y bar 23 and the drill 35 during the drilling and digging operation of the drill. To accomplish the oscillating movement a suitable plate 90 having a rectangular opening 9!, adapted to fit the Kelly bar is mounted thereon and an end portion of the said plate is pivotally secured to a lever 92 as at 93, shown to advantage in Fig. 11. The opposite end portion of the lever 92 is eccentrically pivoted to a bevel gear 9 3 as at'95, which bevel gear is revolved by a suitable bevel pinion 96 that is fixed to the outer extremity of the shaft 14, whereby the Kelly bar is oscillated during the vertical movement of the same. The said plate 80 and bevel gear 9 1 can be properly supported on the gantry frame in any suitable manner.

The means provided for vertically guiding the said Kelly bar 23 is disclosed in Fig. 7 and comprises a pair of vertical guide posts 9'6 and 98 and a. horizontally positioned guide plate 99. The said posts are fixed to the lower portion of the gantry frame 29 and the guide plate is apertured as at I00 and Hit for receiving the guide posts. The

said guide plate is further apertured as at I02 moves with the Kelly bar and isslidably supported on the fixed posts 97 and98.

It will be particularly noted that the Kelly bar is raised, lowered and oscillated simultataken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the shape,,size,

material and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A dredger of the character described comprising a floating base structure, a pump capable of drawing water and solid substances and discharging the same, a hollow drill, means for reciprocating the drill to force the same into and out of the earth, an inlet opening in the lower portion of the hollow drill adapted to admit water and solid substances therein, an outlet in the hollow drill positioned above the said inlet, an elbow positioned over said outlet and secured to said hollow drill, an inlet line leading from said elbow to the pump, said line including a flexible hose, extending downwardly from said elbow, means securing one end of said hose to the saidelbow, a pipe connected to the opposite end of the hose, a second pipe of larger diameter than the first pipe, the second pipe leading to the pump, the first pipe being telescopically positioned in the second pipe, and an arm, the upper e'nd'portion of which is connected to the said elbow and the lower end portion connected to the telescoped pipe, whereby excessive strains on the flexible tubing caused by reciprocating the drill and telescoped pipe are eliminated.

2. A dredger of the character described comprising a floating base structure, a pump capable of drawingwater and solid substances and discharging the same, a vertical bar slidably supported on the structure, a vertical sleevesecured to the lower extremity of the bar, an opening in the wall of the said sleeve, an elbow, one portion of the elbow extending in said sleeve and another portion horizontally extending through said opening, means for suspending the elbow from the vertical bar, means for revolubly supporting the elbow, a hollow drill fixed to the bottom of the said sleeve, a plurality of inlet openings in the lower portion of the hollow drill 7 521,508" l 751 r V 8 p first 13h6$00l1d :pipe Jading' 1:0 th'e pump, v REFERENCES CITED trhe flrst'mpe being fielescupical'ly positiened in the :seccm'd pipe, apatr of arms p'ositicned astra'dn of d dl'e th'e telescoped pipe and elbow and extending 5 en "Th'. "following f'references :are of record in th upwardly fmm the pipe to the elbow, means 5,} UNITEDSTATES PATENTS pivotarlyaconnecbmg the upper end pm-films of Number -iName Date v arms .to theelbow andrmeans lconnecting the 968,356 Howe Aug. 23,1910. ltrwr end partion-s of the lpipe wa -she telescaped 1,613,850 Cas'ey Mar. 8,-192'7 pipe. 2300, 680 Lyons? Nov. 3,1942 "GLEN V. 19; 1

. I-IUGH' GILBESPJE. 

